Tales from the Jeffersonian
by Psycokillerlulz
Summary: Brennan's Colleagues are being taken by a stalker one by one! What can she do to reason with this kidnapper, and will she admit some things to herself to save her friends?
1. Chapter 1: Two Halves Make a Whole

Doctor Temperance Brennan was studying a human skull when Angela Montenegro entered the lab. "Hi Angela" Brennan said, not taking her gaze from the skull.

"Hey sweetie, I brought coffee" Angela said, producing two cardboard cups on a tray.

"Thanks, I'm almost done. How are you going with that facial reconstruction on the man from California?" Brennan asked, making a few notes in her journal about the skull.

"I'm done. Hodgins says he looks like a fish, but I disagree. Fishes don't have eyes and lips that big" Angela said, setting down the tray.

"And… done" Brennan announced, turning away to put the skull back on the shelf of bones. She turned back, removed her gloves and took a sip from her coffee. "Is booth back yet?"

Angela sighed. "Why don't you just call him and ask? He's been in California for three days by himself, and nothing to accompany him but a few thousand pages of paperwork."

"He's getting back today, calling him would be… irrational." Brennan said, taking another sip of her coffee as Angela stared at her.

"Don't get me wrong sweetie, I love you, but sometimes I wonder if you're a female or a robot."

"If I were a robot, there would be several holes in my life story. Starting with the fact that I have killed humans before, which is against one of the three laws of robotics, and also I don't always obey other humans, which breaks the second law." Angela raised her hand before Brennan could continue.

"I didn't mean it literally – just try to act a bit more like a human and less like a being of artificial intelligence" She patted Brennan's arm as she left the lab.

Brennan stood still for a moment, and thought about what Angela had said. She didn't act like a robot (or the generic one that Angela had described). She drained the last of her coffee and left the lab for the bin in her office, in which she could deposit her coffee cup.

When she reached her office, she found Agent Seeley Booth sitting at her desk. "Hey bones!" he said, standing up to sweep her into a hug.

"Booth!" Brennan said, a little too jubilantly. She hardened her demeanour. "How was your flight?" she asked in her normal tone with just an edge of happiness.

"Oh you know, terrible. They sat me next to a baby."

"But I thought all agents in the FBI got free first class seats"

"Well, I could have had a first class flight, but I would have had to wait another hour or two for a first class plane, and I just wanted to get back to… back home" Booth trailed off.

Brennan nodded, then turned to get a look at her computer. 'Were you on my computer just now?"

Booth nodded. "Now if you don't mind bones, I am going to go take a shower." He flashed a grin at her and left her office. She shook her head with a little smile. She glanced at her computer screen, then frowned and did a double take. Booth had changed her screen-saver to a picture of himself!

"Booth!" she yelled after him, and she heard him burst out with laughter.

She sighed and left the room towards Angela's office to see the facial reconstruction. She knocked on the door and let herself in. Angela was bent over her three dimensional representation tablet.

"Hey Ange, just came by for that reconstruction" She said. Angela whirled around.

"Sure sweetie, I'll just grab it up on screen for you." She began typing things on her tablet.

"You seemed surprised when I came in, is everything alright?" Brennan asked as Angela was working.

"Yeah, everything's… everything's fine. Hey, did you see that Booth's back from California?"

"Yeah, he was in my office. He's gone to take a shower." Angela glanced up at this mention. "What?" Brennan asked, confused.

"Nothing, Here's the face" Angela said as the image of a dead man popped up on screen.

"Thanks, could you e-mail that to my computer? I'm headed there now; I have to change my screen-saver." Angela gave her a questioning look.

"What's wrong with the one you have now? Standard blue backdrop not doing it for you anymore?"

"No, Booth was on my computer before I came in, and he changed it to an image of himself".

"Does he look hot?" Angela asked with a little smile.

"Angela, Booth and I are just partners, it would be inappropriate for me to comment about the arousing qualities of his photographs" Brennan said, a little flustered.

"Ah, so judging by that sentence, there were some arousing qualities in his photograph" Angela teased. Brennan left Angela's office and Angela chuckled as she went.

As Brennan neared her office, she began staring at the floor like she did when she was thinking. It wasn't long before she bumped into someone.

"Sorry," she mumbled, as she attempted to regain her footing. She over-balanced, and fell back, but the person she had just bumped into steadied her by grasping her upper arms.

"Bones, sorry about that, are you alright?" Brennan shook her head to clear it, and stared into the eyes of the person she was almost ready to scold. She instead saw Booth's deep brown eyes, now laced with concern.

"Yeah Booth, I'm fine, just wasn't looking where I was going." She had forgotten about the military speed of Booth's showers. He waited a moment before releasing his hold on her.

"How did you survive without me?" He asked, throwing her a teasing smile.

"It's good to have you back Booth, it really is." He swept her into another hug, and whispered.

"I brought you back a present". Brennan leaned back from their embrace.

"Booth you didn't have to do anything like that. But if it's the screen-saver on my computer I'd rather you didn't in the future" Booth laughed again, and presented her with a small box. Inside was a plastic stretch of sand, with a skeleton wearing a straw hat and lei lying on it.

"Thank you Booth, it's very cute" She turned to her office and placed it on her desk. She leaned back and noted that it was the solitary knick-knack inhabiting her workspace.

"And that's not the only present" Booth said from the doorway of her office. "We have another case."

"Details?" Brennan asked as she sorted through the files on her desk, rapidly growing fond of the little skeleton that accompanied them.

"They found a body in a swamp about an hour and half's drive from here."

"Excellent - something to do besides tedious paperwork about a man from California that undoubtedly over-dosed on methamphetamine."

"Great, I'll bring the car around – oh, and Bones?" Brennan looked up.

"Yes, what is it Booth?"

"Try not to hurt yourself while I'm gone" he flashed a cheeky grin, and left Brennan rolling her eyes.

It was good to have Booth back. And what was wrong with having missed him? They were partners, and had been for a long time. To fill in some time, she went over to her computer, planning to change the screen-saver back to normal. The picture contained Booth on New Year's Eve, at Wong Foo's, holding a tequila, with a paper party hat lopsidedly topping his head.

She didn't have the heart to change the picture. He looked too cute and innocent, apart from the fact that he was holding an alcoholic drink and was most likely inebriated at the time of this photograph. She would change it eventually, just not now. She had a case to get to.

She walked to the front of the building, where Booth was waiting in his FBI issued SUV.

"Ready to go Bones?" he called to her.

"Sure thing" She said with a smile as she got into the passenger seat.

"Put these on" Booth instructed, handing her a pair of sunglasses.

"Booth, it's over cast outside, We don't need sun glasses-'

"Come on Bones, for me?" Booth looked at her with those pleading eyes she just couldn't resist, so she sighed and put them on. He put on a pair of his own.

"Agent Seely Booth, And Doctor Temperance Brennan – out fighting crime and kicking ass once again" They turned to each other, and both gave a dramatic nod, and as they pulled out to the road, they couldn't help but laugh.


	2. Chapter 2: Slime and Sex Appeal

Booth and Brennan arrived at the crime scene. They were tired, but eager to get into the new case. They reached the yellow police tape, and Booth lifted it up so Brennan could duck under it.

"Thank you" She muttered, already absorbed by the crimes scene, looking for any trace of the corpse. They reached the edge of the marsh, where they were greeted by a police officer.

"I'm sorry sir this is a private investigation, I'm going to have to ask you to vacate the premises immediately" The officer said, already ushering them away.

Booth pulled out his badge. "Nice try man, I'm agent Seeley Booth, and this is Forensic Anthropologist doctor Temperance Brennan. We're here about the body."

The officer looked at them for a moment, reluctant to accommodate them, but sighed and turned away, indicating that they follow. "We got news of human remains around in this area, but we have only been able to locate clues."

"How did you discover the remains?" Brennan asked, still looking around for said remains.

"A couple of school kids tried to go swimming in here, the first one jumped in and came back up covered in liquefied human parts. He is still over there." The officer pointed to a teenage boy covered in red and blue slime.

"He's showing the early signs of shock" Brennan announced as she rushed over to him. "Aren't you supposed to set up a bio-hazardous shower if a situation like this occurs?"

"We don't have the resources just yet ma'am – and that slime-covered boy may be covered in slimy evidence." Doctor Brennan glared at the cop.

"Any evidence could be easily identified with the remains at this state of decomposure – there is no reason for him not to have been treated by now!" the cop didn't back down, but stared at her for a moment, before calling the bio-hazard team to set up a shower.

Brennan looked over the boy a few more times, and assured him he would be alright, before putting on a pair of latex gloves, and taking a cotton swab from her small kit and taking a sample of the slime, which she put into a bag.

"We will get this scanned once we get back to the lab" she announced. She handed the bag to Booth, who shuddered, and gave it to an assisting agent. He then set out to follow Brennan to the edge of the marsh.

"As you can see, we already have officers looking for the body" The cop said, strolling over to them once more.

"They are looking in the wrong place – the currents in these waters would have carried the body over to the submerged roots of this tree" Brennan pointed to a nearby tree.

Brennan walked over to the nearest bio-hazard tent, found an empty suit and put it on over her clothes.

"Wait, Bones, what are you doing?" Booth asked warily as Brennan pulled up the suit to her shoulders.

"I am getting the body – they might disturb something important – zip me up?" She asked, turning her back to him. He obliged, a little stunned that his partner was just going to go in there and fish out a dead body without much consideration.

"Be careful Bones" He advised as she entered the water.

"What the hell is she doing?" The cop exclaimed as he saw Brennan in the water.

"She is getting the body – I have given her permission to do so on behalf of the FBI" Booth replied curtly. "It would be appreciated if you did not hinder her efforts."

"Found it!" Brennan called as she reached into the water and pulled out a leg. The mussel and sinew was hanging off the bones like slime. "Booth, could you toss me a helmet?" She asked as she put the leg in a large plastic evidence bag.

"Sure Bones" Booth replied as he found one near him and threw it to her. She caught it and put it on, then submerged herself into the water.

"That is disgusting" Booth remarked, as one of the assisting officers retched a few feet away.

Brennan broke the surface a few moments later, carrying a gooey corpse in her arms as though it were just some oversized doll, and not a rotting corpse.

She placed it on the shore before them, and smiled. Booth gave her an uncomfortable look. "What?" She asked, confused.

"Uh, Bones, there's a tear in your suit." Booth commented. Brennan looked down, and there was indeed a large rip in her bio-hazard suit.

"Gross!" She exclaimed as she registered the amount of liquefied human remains that were coating her body. "I need a shower."

"You really do. I am so glad that I'm driving Hodgin's car today." Brennan looked confused.

"What about the bio-hazard shower they have here?"

"I saw them unloading that thing – it'll take at least an hour to put it together. It will be faster to just get back to the Jeffersonian."

"Alright then, I might as well shed this useless garment, although I don't think I can do much about the smell. Have the remains sent to the Jeffersonian, I'll analyse it when we get back."

The cop bid them goodbye with a sneer, and Booth gave him a rude hand gesture from behind his back. Brennan smacked his arm, but grinned none the less.

When they reached the black FBI issued van, Booth turned to Brennan. "Now Bones, don't take this personally or anything, but could you sit in the back on the ride home? The smell is a little…"

"Off-putting?" Brennan offered as she got into the vehicle.

"Yeah, let's go with that." Booth said quietly as her got in the front.

It took an hour and a half to get back to the Jeffersonian. Angela walked over to Brennan as soon as she walked in. "How was the trip?" She asked, keeping up with Brennan's fast paced walk.

"We found the body, I helped a traumatised boy, and my bio-hazard suit ripped and I got human sludge in un-desirable places" Brennan rattled off, not slowing her pace toward the showers.

"That would explain the smell…" Angela said as she waved away the air around her nose. She jogged upwind of Brennan and continued.

"I finished the reconstructions you asked for- I sent you an e-mail with the link attached."

"Thanks Ange. I'm going to take a shower."

"Uh, sweetie – what are you going to wear after your shower?" Brennan sighed and rubbed her forehead. Angela smiled. "Don't worry Bren; I'll pick you up something to wear. There's nothing to do around here anyway."

"Thank you Angela. I would hug you, but I smell like rotting human remains."

Angela smiled again and left Brennan to her walk towards the showers. She entered one of the cubicles, which was equipped with soap, shampoo and conditioner. She shed her clothes, which she immediately placed in one of the provided bins.

A half hour later, she heard a knock on the cubicle. "Angela, is that you?"

"No it's Cam – Angela had to step out for something. I have your clothes though."

"Thank you Cam, just pass them over the door please." Brennan turned off the water, satisfied that this was as clean as she would get. She took the clothes hanging over the door and went over them. She was confused – she couldn't own these herself, she didn't wear anything of the sort.

There was a rather revealing blouse, hot pink in colour, and a transparent black cardigan to wear over it. There was a short black skirt, shorter than she would have picked out for herself, and black panty-hose that matched the cardigan. The outfit was completed with a pair of glossy black heels.

"What do you think?" Cam asked from the other side of the door, clearly stifling a giggle.

"Well it's not what I would have picked out for myself, but I think Angela has a rather different interpretation of what suits me in the style department."

"Clearly – well the remains arrived, and they're sitting on your lab table for when you're ready."

"I'll be out in just a minute."

"Oh, and here" Cam said as she passed a small bottle of perfume over the door. "For the dead body smell"

"Thanks Cam, I don't think that standard FBI soap quite eradicates the odour."

Brennan felt a little uncomfortable. No matter how often she attempted to pull the skirt down to an acceptable level, it just went right back up. She decided to ignore it and go on as usual.

She went to her office where she kept her blue lab coat, only to find that it wasn't there. She heard footsteps coming towards her office. She turned to see Booth, attention immersed in paperwork, as he breezed through the door.

"Hey Bones, we've got a couple of leads on the…" he trailed off as he looked up at her.

"Leads on the case?" Brennan prompted.

Booth nodded absent mindedly, as stunned as he was for words. She looked beautiful, that much was obvious – he had never seen her in such a way. It was always blue lab coat or casual dignified clothes, but this… this was a whole new Bones.

"Booth, you have been staring at me for a few moments now" Brennan interrupted his reverie.

"Oh, yeah… sorry… Bones, you look… different…" Booth managed.

"Well since my clothes were covered with human remains, I asked Angela to fetch me new attire, and thus I stand before you like this." She spread her arms.

"Well, you look… good" he stammered.

'What, did I not look good before?" She questioned. Now she was just teasing him.

"Well there was… Anyway the leads, uh right, well the clothes on the victim were torn, therefore there was a struggle, and the clothes were some type of standard issue uniform, but we're still running checks on what the uniform represented."

"There will most likely be more leads once I have gone over the remains, I just can't seem to find my lab coat…" At that moment Angela came through the door.

"Hey Bren, I see Cam gave you the clothes. Doesn't she look great Booth?" She said casually as ever.

"Yes, she does…" Booth said automatically. They looked at him for a moment until Brennan broke the silence.

"Angela why did you give me these clothes, they are nothing like what I would normally wear."

"Oh, then I did a good job. Sweetie you look great, why not reflect that with what you wear?"

"Was it you who took my lab coat?"

"I wouldn't dream of it – however I found a replacement." She handed Brennan a transparent lab coat. Brennan sighed and pulled it on, then brushed past Booth and headed towards the lab.

She swiped her card to de-activate the alarms as she walked to her table, and Zack, Hodgins and Sweets looked up at her entry.

"Where are my Bones?" She asked, but received no answer. Hodgins was staring open mouthed, Zach's eyes had gone very wide, and sweets' head was drifting slowly to one side.

"Angela, I don't think I will ever forgive you for this one" Brennan muttered.

Sweets was the first to speak. "Uh, Doctor Brennan, you look… wow."

Brennan raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean by that?"

Zach then found his voice. "I think he means you look sexually arousing to all the males in the room."

Hodgins nudged Zack with his elbow. "Been reading up on that book I gave you huh?"


	3. Chapter 3: The Exploding Agent

"Alright, I have analysed the solid remains, and sent the liquefied remains to Cam. Hopefully we shall have the results of her tests in a half hour."

Booth clapped his hands. "Right, what do you have for me Bones?"

"Well the knees were both dislocated, then the femurs were broken, all the ribs were cracked, there are signs of dislocation in the right elbow, however the left elbow is shattered, which can lead me to believe that it was thrown up to protect the face in an attack – but I will have Angela run a simulation before I come to any conclusions."

"Ok that sounds very painful. Do we know any personal details about the victim?"

"The victim was female, between sixteen and nineteen, her bones showed signs of surgery earlier in life, for what was most likely a standard wrist fracture, however both wrists are shattered."

"Do we know the order of the injuries yet?"

Zack walked in at that moment, carrying a box with a majority of the bones in it.

"Yes, I identified a chronological order of her injuries, and came across new ones under the microscope. Her wrists were broken first, most likely in a struggle, then the elbow was shattered. After that the legs were dislocated, followed by the right elbow, then all ribs were broken, most likely in a beating."

"My God, that sounds horrible" Booth exclaimed.

"That's not all. What I discovered under the microscope was teeth marks on the knees and lower arms, made by various creatures, however the most prominent is human. There are signs of dog bites and rodent gnawing, but I can without doubt say that everything occurred before she died."

Brennan had to steady her breathing before continuing. "Have you determined the final cause of death yet?"

"I cannot fully determine the cause of death until Doctor Saroyan finishes her testing and presents her findings."

"Ok… good work Zach, you can go back to Hodgins and resume your individual experiments."

Zach nodded to Brennan with the hint of a smile and left the lab.

"This is God-awful, what we're dealing with here is torture of the first degree" Booth growled.

"Calm down Booth, as soon as Cam finishes with the remains we can piece together our information."

"Alright Bones, but it's lunchtime and your looking thinner than your clients here."

Brennan laughed at the joke, but shook her head. "I'm not hungry."

"Bones you need to eat something. I know you spent the night in the lab and you haven't eaten since yesterday, according to Angela."

Brennan thought for a moment, then relented. "Fine, I will have lunch with you."

"It's a date… But not a date – date, just… I'll see you in a few minutes, ok?"

"OK Booth" Laughed Brennan as she shed her lab coat.

Angela sidled up to Brennan at that point. "So… who's got a date with a certain hot FBI agent?"

Brennan sighed, getting ready to give Angela a lecture about how she and Booth were just friends, when they heard a loud explosion. They instantly started to run towards the source of the sound.

They reached the corridor outside the lab, to find Booth had been at the centre of the carnage.

"Booth! Oh my God, Angela call 911" Brennan yelled as she ran to her partner's unconscious form. He was on fire, so Brennan pulled off the thin cardigan and smothered the flames. "Don't worry Booth, ambulance is coming, don't worry, I'll keep you safe."

Booth stirred. "Bones… it hurts…" Brennan hugged Booth close to her.

"It's alright Booth, you're going to be fine. I promise." Tears were rolling down her face.

Booth reached up and wiped them away. "Don't cry Bones. Hospital… pudding… good…" Then he passed out again.

The ambulance came and took Booth away on a stretcher, and allowed Brennan to ride in the ambulance with him.

Once they arrived at the hospital, Brennan was sent to the waiting room while he was given emergency surgery. The doctor emerged later and walked over to Brennan.

"Doctor Brennan, we have diagnosed Agent Booth's injuries, and they are severe. He has various bruises and lacerations, mainly around the torso, his shoulder was dislocated, and his ribs fractured. His recovery is expected to take at least two weeks."

"Thank you doctor – may I see him now?"

"Yes, I will take you to his room." He made an about turn and walked down the corridor.

They reached Booth's room, and he was asleep. Brennan assumed that this was due to the painkillers.

She sat on the chair beside him, and the doctor left the room to give them some privacy.

"Booth, thank goodness you're going to be alright. I was so worried when that explosion went off, and then… you were in surgery for so long…" she collapsed into more tears.

"Not… your… fault…" She heard his rasping voice. He didn't open his eyes, and just as quickly as he had stirred, he was asleep again.

When he woke once more, Brennan was still by his side. "Hey Bones…" he drawled.

"Hey Booth, how are you feeling?" She asked, her voice gentle, but laced with concern.

"Like crap." He stated simply. "If you weren't such a workaholic then you would have been blown up as well. And for that, I'm glad."

"I got you something." Brennan said, and presented him with a pudding cup and a plastic spoon.

"Thanks Bones." He said in earnest. She smiled as she pulled the plastic off the top of the pudding and dipped the spoon in. She handed it to Booth and he heaped a spoonful.

"It would be worth it to be here every day of my life to eat this pudding." He said as he ate it.

"I'm just glad you're ok." She said a little sadly.

"Don't worry about me Bones – I'm a fighter. Speaking of which, did they tell you when they're letting me out of this joint?" Booth asked as he continued with his pudding.

"They said your recovery would take around two weeks."

"Dammit! Can't you pull some strings and get me out early?"

"I think you should stay here and recover properly – you got blown up Booth."

"I'll be fine. Come on Bones, please? I'll give you some of my pudding?" He grudgingly held out the pudding cup to her.

"Fine Booth, I'll talk to the doctor. And I don't want your pudding." He sighed in relief and continued to devour the pudding. She smiled as she left the room.

She came back later to find he had finished the pudding cup and was attempting to reach the TV remote in front of him. She handed it to him and he gave her a grateful look.

"What did the doctor say?" He asked when she sat down.

"He said he thinks you should stay for the duration of the two weeks, but relented to release you in two days when I said I would take care of you."

"Wow Bones, you don't have to take care of me."

"You couldn't lift your arm to pick up the remote Booth, you need some help."

"Thanks so much, for everything." Booth spread his arms for a hug, and she smiled and put her arms around him.

"Oh, I almost forgot." She said, and presented him with another pudding cup.

"what would I do without you, Bones?"


	4. Chapter 4: Breakfast at St Tiffanys

**OK, here's a little clearance about the time stages of this fan fic. Now I know that Zack was Gormogon's apprentice, but in this universe he wasn't. He did get blown up under the same circumstances though. This is set around the third to fourth seasons, before all the new characters came in, but after Booth was shot by Pam Nunan (screw her).**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Bones. I would marry Zack Addy if I did.**

"Angela, what are you doing? Are they in there or not?"

"Shut up Hodgins, look for yourself!"

"What's there to see, there's no- oh my god that's cute."

Hodgins and Angela peered through the window on the door, and saw that Brennan had fallen asleep with her head on Booth's bed, and her hand touching his.

"She looks really uncomfortable, but I don't have the heart to wake her" Angela said as she beamed in at the two.

As they watched, they saw Booth stir. He opened his eyes and saw Brennan at his bedside. He showed visual strain as he lifted his hand to brush some hair gently out of her face.

Angela could take no more. She dashed away from the door and squealed as she bounced up and down with the cuteness of it all.

Hodgins laughed at her, but couldn't deny that doctor Brennan and agent Booth were a match made in heaven.

Zach arrived at that moment, carrying several pudding cups. He handed one to each of them. "Are they awake yet?" he asked as he handed out utensils.

"Look at them" Angela managed before the grin over whelmed her face once more and she began bouncing around them. Zack peered into the hospital dorm and raised an eyebrow.

"Doctor Brennan looks uncomfortable. We should go in there and wake her up." Angela sighed and grudgingly agreed.

"Fine, but not before this." And she took out her mobile and snapped several pictures of her best friend sleeping. "I'm going to print these and put them on my wall." She laughed gleefully.

Once Angela had finished her photo shoot, they entered the room. She walked over to Her best friend and gently touched her shoulder. "Hey, Bren? Wake up sweetie."

Brennan stirred, and rose her head from the mattress slowly. She ran her fingers through her messy hair, and groaned, feeling her neck strain after being in such a strange position all night.

"I brought you a coffee" Angela said, handing Brennan the beverage. She nodded gratefully and took a sip. Booth scratched his head, as a sign of awakening.

"Booth, how are you feeling?" Brennan asked, her voice sleepy but concerned.

"I'm great Bones, never felt better." He said through a yawn. He looked around at the group of people that had come to see him.

"Hey buddy, we came to see how you were." Hodgins explained as he saw the extent of Booth's injuries.

Angela nodded. "Yeah, we wanted to bring you some stuff. I got this water bottle. Now I know the contents may smell like beer, but if the nurses ask, it's medicine that you brought from home."

Booth smiled and nodded – this would probably have a better effect than most medicine at this hospital ever could.

"I brought you some pudding cups – I recall how delicious they were from when I stayed here after the monomer explosion." Zack explained as he presented Booth with the various pudding cups.

"Thanks Zack my man" Booth smiled as he removed the top from a pudding cup.

"I brought you the latest issue of Green Lantern. I know how much you like to read them from when Doctor Brennan saw you in the bathtub…" Hodgins trailed off, as he presented Booth with a comic book. He smiled and nodded, although embarrassed by the memory.

"So when are they letting you go" Asked Angela as she popped Booth's drink bottle and took a swig.

"The doctors said he could go in a couple of days, so long as he stayed with me. And Angela you really shouldn't be getting drunk before nine in the morning."

Angela nodded and tapped the bottle shut. "Wait, you're going to let Booth stay with you? At your apartment?"

"Well, mine or his, it could vary on the convenience of each location at the time." Brennan explained simply and calmly as ever.

"Alright, we have a lot of work to do down at the Jeffersonian what with the explosion and all, so you two… you two have fun ok." Angela said, stifling the ensuing squeal into a squeak. She hugged Brennan, then after taking another two swigs of Booth's beer bottle, she hugged him too and placed it down beside him.

Hodgins' goodbye was a little less extreme. "See you soon Doctor Brennan." Then he gave her a short hug. "Get well soon buddy" He said to Booth as he shook his hand.

Zack was a little overwhelmed by all the social interaction, but in an attempt to follow suit, he hugged Brennan awkwardly. After about five seconds of standing there with his arms around her, not quite knowing what to do, Hodgins sighed and pulled him off by grabbing his collar.

"Goodbye Doctor Brennan, Get well Agent Booth" Was all he said, before leaving the remaining pudding cups on a chair and running out.

"So much for me getting a hug." Booth muttered in mock annoyance.

Hodgins sighed. "I guess our little discussions about what is socially appropriate have been lost in the ocean of mixed up logic that is Zack Addy."

Angela nodded and took him by the elbow. "Well between you and me, I think his teacher has some problems of his own." He frowned and as they both waved goodbye and left the room, Booth and Brennan heard him mumble something, then heard Angela reply with something like "Calling me hotter than your mum's cooking is not considered as socially appropriate."

"Well… that was creepy and weird." Booth said brightly as he went for another pudding cup. Brennan lifted it out of his reach, which wasn't hard to do as he could barely lift his arm.

"You don't get another pudding cup until you have eaten something decent." Brennan declared as she put the pudding cup on her chair.

"Bones, come on, have you tasted those pudding cups? They are the most decent thing on God's green earth" He argued.

Brennan rolled her eyes. "While I highly doubt that statement, I am going to go and get you breakfast from the cafeteria, and you will not eat another pudding cup until you have finished every bite."

What are you going to do to keep me away from my pudding cups? I am a grown man; you can't force me away from them!"

"I'll hide them. Now sit still and I'll be back in a minute." She left the room.

She selected a relatively healthy breakfast from the cafeteria's provided cuisine, if it could so be called. She got two eggs, some toast and bacon, and a glass of orange juice. He couldn't possibly complain about this breakfast.

She got herself the cleanest looking salad on the trays, and headed back to Booth's room.

He was attempting to get out of bed and hobble to the bathroom.

"Booth, what are you doing?" Brennan put down the tray of food and went to help him.

"I really needed to go to the bathroom. I think I could use a shower too." Brennan rolled her eyes and put him back in bed.

"You can hold it until after breakfast, and then you can take a shower if the nurse says so." She went back to where she had placed down the tray and returned to her chair.

"Thanks Bones, this looks nice." Then he mumbled "not as nice as a pudding cup though."

Bones groaned and jabbed him with her salad fork, before quietly, yet contentedly, eating her breakfast salad.

Once Booth had consumed every morsel of food on his plate, Brennan went to see the nurse about a shower. She returned to find him shifting uncomfortably in his bed.

"She said you are allowed to use the bathroom amenities, so long as you use the chair in the shower and sit down to urinate."

"Hey, at this point, I'd cartwheel through the experience."

Brennan assisted him in getting to the bathroom, and once she found him comfortable in the toilet, she left the room. She heard the shower start and breathed a sigh of relaxation.

She was almost relaxed when she spied something on the shelf. Two bathroom towels. She smacked herself on the forehead. She had neglected to give Booth towels.

She picked up the necessary equipment and marched into the bathroom, dumped the towels on the nearest surface and left, to Booth's sounds of confusion.

She sprawled out on his now empty bed and sighed. A few minutes later, Booth emerged to find her asleep there. He smiled at her. She deserved some time to sleep. And he needed some time to search for the hidden pudding cups.

Once he had found them and opened one, he sat in the chair beside the bed, he looked at Bones. Beautiful Bones. He was grateful that it was he lying in that hospital bed, covered in injuries, and not her. Well, at that moment, it was she who was in the bed and… well, never mind.

He was just happy she was safe, and he would sacrifice his life to keep it that way.


	5. Chapter 5: A Crude Awakening

"Ok Doctor Brennan, you should give him these pills three times a day – once when he wakes up, once during lunch, and before he goes to sleep."

"Thank you doctor, I'll make sure he takes them" Brennan nodded, and she took the small plastic jar of pills and put them in her purse.

"Should he experience any symptoms of allergy to the medication, please cease use and contact the hospital immediately." The doctor said, stressing this point.

"Well if he shows any resistance to the medication, I'm not exactly going to keep administering them – that would be careless" She said, asserting her intelligence.

The doctor was a little taken aback for a moment, yet quickly recovered.

"Even so, I advise you to remain diligent for any reactions to the medication." Brennan simply nodded and left the doctor standing in the hallway.

She arrived at Booth's room. "Time to go Booth – have you got your things?" Booth turned around from gathering up the cards and gifts he had got from his friends, family and colleagues.

"Yeah, it's just like it feels like I'm taking more than I had to begin with." He struggled to carry the many cards and trinkets. He looked happily at a drawing Parker had given him.

"Well, I can't help but notice that Angela's beer bottle is empty." Brennan commented accusingly.

"I had nothing to do with that, Bones. Maybe you have a secret addiction that you're trying to hide by blaming others" He said admonishingly.

Brennan rolled her eyes. "Of course Booth – come on, we have to sign out of the hospital." She gathered up the remaining trinkets and cards, and led the way out of the hospital room. Booth was all too eager to follow her.

Once they reached the checkout desk, Brennan spoke up again. "Booth, I think it would be easier if you stayed at my apartment for the duration of your recovery." Booth gave his charm smile.

"You're asking me to stay at your apartment?" Brennan looked up.

"Was that a question or a statement?" She asked genuinely confused.

Booth laughed and put his arm around her shoulders. "Don't worry Bones, I'll be out of your hair before you know it – I'm quick at recovery." Brennan shook her head.

"Really it's no trouble Booth. We'll go by your house on the way home and pick up some things for your stay, then I'll drop you off at home while I get supplies from the store."

"No way Bones, I'm coming with you to the store – if I'm going to be at your house for a week I may as well be as helpful as I can."

"Well since your injuries would impair you from doing anything I couldn't already do myself, I think your assistance will be of minimal requirement."

Booth rolled his eyes and hobbled off in the direction of Brennan's car, which Angela had dropped over his first night at the hospital. Brennan hadn't gone home since arriving; wanting to stay and watch over Booth, as according to her he was bound to get himself into more trouble if left on his own.

He instinctively made for the driver's side of the vehicle, but was ushered to the passenger door by Brennan instead.

"No way are you driving in your condition. I will enjoy being behind the wheel for once. I'm a good driver." She got into the driver's seat and turned on the ignition.

As they got onto the highway, Booth enquired casually. "Did the doctor say when I'll be able to get back to work?" Brennan shot him a look.

"Booth, you are supposed to be in heavy recovery, I'd expect that you'll be out of work for at least a week." Booth looked devastated at her words.

"A week? Oh no, I am not taking a week off work, I have to catch the guy that blew me up, and finish the case files on that guy from California, and keep an eye on the squints in case that bomb guy strikes one of them next."

"That's what I was meaning to ask you about Booth, what happened in that explosion?"

Booth sighed. "I don't remember much Bones, but I guess that I remember walking to the lounge, and then I saw something slide across the floor, which I assumed was someone dropping something by accident, but then I heard something loud, and then you were there."

"Yes, as soon as I heard the explosion, Angela and I rushed to the scene."

"Thanks Bones for thinking so quick, and staying with me, and welcoming me into your home, and just everything." He patted her on the head, not wanting to hug her while she was driving.

"No problem Booth. Here's your house, if you feel uncomfortable with me in your home, I could wait for you out here in the car." She suggested.

"No way Bones, why would you think I'd be uncomfortable?" Booth asked incredulously.

"Well, the last time I was in your house you reacted badly and made several statements that I shouldn't enter your house." Booth thought for a moment, and then recalled when Brennan had last been at his house.

"Oh, I remember, but that was a completely different situation, I mean I was taking a bath, and you didn't even knock."

"Oh, well next time I enter your house with intent of yelling at you, I will be sure to remember to knock first." Brennan said, without any hint of traceable sarcasm.

They entered Booth's house, and it looked like a bomb site. There were clothes in places clothes didn't belong, there were dirty fermenting in the sink, the garbage hadn't been emptied in more than a week, and parkers toys and drawing supplies were scattered over most surfaces.

"Wow, it's worse than I remember" Booth said, a little bewildered at the sight of his house.

"Alright, um, you can go pack your things, and I'll… wait out here." Brennan said eventually.

Booth nodded and made his way to his room. He opened his drawers, and withdrew mostly casual clothes, and a couple of work suits. He briefly contemplated bringing his beer hat, but decided against it, as he believed he would not be taking any baths at Brennan's house.

When he emerged from his bedroom, to collect the final items he needed, he discovered that the kitchen was clean. "Wow Bones, did you do that?" he asked, a little shocked.

"Yes, I thought that should your kitchen's state be given the opportunity to ferment any further, permanent damage could be done to it." Booth ran his hand across one surface.

"It has never been this clean, not even when I bought the house" He exclaimed.

"Well go and get the last of your things, and I will continue with cleaning."

"Bones, you're taking me into your home, you don't have to clean mine." He protested, but she had already tied the garbage bag with a knot at the top, and taken out the front door.

He sighed and made his way to the bathroom, where he collected his toothbrush, tooth paste, hair brush, and etcetera. He left the bathroom to find Brennan looking closely at spider-man comic.

"This comic book is very un-realistic." She commented as she examined a fight scene.

"It's not mine, it's Parker's…" He trailed off, then looked sadly at the comic. The reason why dawned quickly on Brennan.

"Booth, if it is your weekend with Parker, he is more than welcome to stay at my apartment as well." She said, smiling warmly. She liked Parker, although they hadn't met more than once or twice before.

"Really Bones? You'd let Parker stay?" Booth said ecstatically.

"Of course, I know you don't get to spend as much time with him as you like, and the time you do have is special. And he is a great kid." Booth enveloped her in a bone-crushing hug.

"Thank you so much Bones, I promise the kid won't cause trouble." He said, squeezing her tighter.

Brennan coughed under the pressure her lungs were withstanding. "Booth, I am having trouble breathing." He let her go quickly, and held her at arms-length. His huge boyish smile turned out to be infectious, and soon she was smiling back at him.

"I'll go get his stuff." Booth said awkwardly as he let her go. "I'll only be a sec." He hobbled as quickly as he could in the direction of Parker's bedroom. Brennan smiled after him, and bent down to collect Parker's drawing equipment. She noted a picture of a dinosaur that he had drawn – it was very good for a child of his age.

"Ok Bones, I got everything, where to now?" Booth asked, trailing the two suit cases behind him.

"Well, first we are going back to my apartment to put your things inside, then we will go to the store if you insist to accompany me." Booth nodded at her plans.

They made their way out to Brennan's car, and piled Booth's stuff into the back. They arrived at Brennan's apartment in good time, as she tended not to notice speed limit signs. When Booth brought this up, she countered with "You always drive me everywhere, I don't get a lot of practise time Booth." She did have a valid point.

When they came to Brennan's floor, they immediately noticed the door was open ajar. "What the hell? Stay back Bones" Booth said cautiously as he pulled out his gun.

"I thought you weren't bringing your gun." Brennan muttered, but stayed back from the door as Booth peeked inside. It was worthless to argue – when it came to her safety, Booth couldn't be swayed.

"I'm going to go inside and look around." Booth entered the apartment, and Brennan gave him three seconds before entering herself. "What? Bones I told you to stay out there!" He whispered quickly.

"Well it's my apartment, and you're hurt Booth, even if the intruder was still here then you wouldn't be able to apprehend him." He dismissed it with a wave of his hand and continued to look through all the rooms in the house. Brennan took a moment to register the state that her apartment was in. Everything had been broken or destroyed completely. Her laptop was missing, but apart from that everything else seemed to be there, but in pieces.

"Uh, Bones, you're gonna wanna look at this…" She heard Booth call from the direction of her bedroom. Brennan was a little nervous at what she would see, but continued anyway to her bedroom. She placed a hand over her mouth as she saw what adorned the wall over her head. There was a border of pictures, most taken from a distance, of her, doing various day-to-day activities. But in the middle of this border were several pictures of her friends, single portrait pictures, much larger than the small ones that surrounded them.

The pictures, in succession, were of Cam, Sweets, Hodgins, Angela, Zack, and Booth. Under these was scribbled in something that looked a lot like blood were the words "ONE BY ONE, JUST LIKE THEM."


	6. Chapter 6: Darkness and Dolphins

As Booth called for a crime scene examination team to get down there, Brennan stumbled out of the room. She was afraid. There was a person taking pictures of her and her friends, and threatening to do something to them one by one. But what did this person mean "Just like them?". Was it some sort of code? She thought of any cases she had worked on lately, trying to tie in a pattern, but nothing came up. She collapsed on to her couch, which looked as though it had been slashed by a knife. Then the tears came.

Booth heard the sobbing from the bedroom. He went straight to the living room, and saw Brennan hunched over on the couch, sobbing with her hands over her face. He hobbled over to her, and sat down next to her, pulling her into his chest. She put her arms around his torso and sobbed harder. "It's ok Bones, we're gonna find the sick bastard who did this and lock him up. Don't worry, I've got you. No one's going to hurt you." He rested his chin in the top of her head.

"I'm scared Booth." She said, her words muffled into his chest. "What if he goes after Angela and Hodgins and Zack and…" She subsided into a fresh wave of tears. Booth was so angry that some psycho could make her feel like this. He stroked her hair soothingly, and whispered softly into her ear.

"We won't let anything happen to them either. Look I'll call them and see if they're ok." Booth pulled out his phone and called Cam, as she was the first picture in the line. It rang eight times, then went to voice mail. Booth furrowed his brow – Cam always answered her phone if it was him calling. He tried again, with the same result. He called the crime scene guys again and asked, with a tone of urgency, "Hey, I need a check on Camille Saroyan, just check the Jeffersonian and her house."

Brennan was pulling herself together at this point. "Is Cam missing?" She said, sniffing.

"She's not answering her cell, which is a little out of character for her, but she could be in the shower or at the office." Booth tried reassuring her, but he had a sinking feeling that she wouldn't be in either of the places he had instructed the crime squad to look.

"I'll call the others." He said, and dialled Sweets' number. After several rings he prayed that the psychiatrist had not fallen victim to the same fate Cam had.

"Sweets." He answered on the fourth ring. Booth breathed a heavy sigh of relief.

"Sweets, its Booth, where are you?"

"I'm driving home, why is something the matter?"

"Yeah, I want you to turn around and go back to the Jeffersonian; we will meet you there in about a half hour, and don't speak to anyone on the way there."

"Agent Booth what-"Sweets began, but Booth had already hung up his cell, and had begun dialling Hodgins' number. It rang twice before he answered.

"Hodgins." He said, and Booth got that same elated feeling. He repeated the same instructions to Hodgins, and everyone in succession of how their portraits were placed on the wall, until everyone except Cam was accounted for. Brennan had been dealing with the crime scene guys while this was going on, and walked over to Booth.

"Are we meeting them at the Jeffersonian?" She asked. Booth nodded, and his phone rang.

"Booth." He answered. It was the crime tech guys assigned to finding Cam.

"Sorry Agent Booth, we have found no trace of Doctor Saroyan at her house or office, and her phone and wallet are both still at her house. There are some signs of a struggle. Again, I'm very sorry."

Booth hung up, and took Brennan by the hand. "Come on Bones, we need to talk to the Squints. Maybe they have seen something strange."

"No leads on Cam yet?" She asked, taking on her level head once more.

"They went to her place, and her office, her stuff's still lying around, and there are signs of a struggle. The Crime tech guys have assumed it as a kidnapping."

Brennan nodded. "We should make sure that the others are safe until we find Cam." He said goodbye to the crime tech guys, and Brennan mumbled some instructions to them. He led her out of the building to her car.

"Are you alright?" He asked after a few moments of driving.

"What do you mean Booth?" Brennan asked, taking her eyes off the road for a moment to survey him. He shrugged.

"Well, a psychopath has broken into your house, broken everything you own, and left a threatening message on your wall, and one of your friends is missing, presumably kidnapped, with your other friends facing the same thing."

Brennan eyeballed him. "I know Booth, but in situations like this, I think it would be best if I wasn't reminded of the situation." Booth winced, realising how thoughtless he had been.

"Yeah, I guess I just made things worse." Brennan's eyes widened.

"Oh no Booth, you had no effect, things are still at the same level of horrible nightmarish circumstance they were in. But I'm guessing you were trying to make me feel better by making me talk about my reactions to a traumatic event."

"Oh god you're making me sound like Sweets here. Look, I just want to make sure that you're not gonna have a psychotic break here."

"Booth, I won't lie, I am a little shaken at the prospect of a crazy person stealing my friends, but I can deal with it. Perhaps we will know more once we meet the others at the Jeffersonian."

"OK Bones, so long as you're doing alright." He put a hand on her shoulder, and she smiled at him. They spent the rest of their journey in a comfortable silence.

When they arrived at the Jeffersonian, everyone (excluding Cam) were waiting in the lab. Booth swore he heard Angela speculate to the others "I'll bet she's pregnant!" When they stepped into the lab. Booth cleared his throat to capture their attention.

"Agent Booth, I see you have been released from hospital, how are you feeling?" Asked Sweets.

"I'm fine, Sweets, but we've got a situation. When Bones and I went back to her apartment, we found it had been trashed, everything ripped to pieces. Then we found in her bedroom…" He thought for the words to best describe the scene to them.

Brennan, blunt as ever, explained it for him. "There were pictures of all of you, portrait sized, with the words under them written in blood 'one by one, just like them'. Around it was a border of significantly smaller pictures of myself, taken from a distance. I speculate that we are dealing with a stalker." She finished. Everyone had shocked expressions by this point.

"All of your photographs were arranged in a specific order, beginning with Cam. You will notice that she is not present, that is because we believe she has already been taken." Angela interrupted.

"Who is next in the line?" She said this in trepidation, fearing who would be the next target.

"Sweets." Booth said simply, adopting Brennan's blunt tone. Everyone turned to Sweets as this was said, and he became visibly pale at the prospect of being the next possible victim. Angela acknowledged this.

"Don't worry Sweets, we're gonna find this psycho before he can get to any one of us." She gently touched his arm, but he seemed not to register the feeling, his eyes were glazed over, as though he were staring into deep space.

Zach looked to Angela's attempt to comfort Sweets. He had been watching her methods of social interaction, and though he knew that it was blatantly illogical to assume the stalker would be caught before another victim, he decided to join in with the comforting.

"Doctor Sweets, there is nothing to suggest that you will be the next target simply because of an ordinance of photographs, Doctor Saroyan disappearing first may have been mere coincidence. It is assumption that the kidnapper has a particular pattern. Although it is more logical to assume you will be next, if we are thinking without assumption, you have little to worry about. Technically, it is a one in five chance you will be the net to be apprehended."

"I s-still don't like those odds…" Sweets stuttered – the first thing he had said since discovering he was possibly the next victim. Hodgins clapped him on the back.

"Come on dude, the security's so tight here nothing could touch you."

"Well yeah Hodgins, but we can't deny that when Sweets leaves, he's gonna be in danger. I mean, this guy got Cam, and she is more than capable of taking care of herself. Maybe we should get him a bodyguard." Booth suggested.

"You know what, Hodgins has a pretty good point about the security here. Maybe we should just stay here until we at least have some leads." Angela said.

"Well, we stayed here at Christmas and it wasn't so bad…" Hodgins said, looking around the place. "Why don't we go get some supplies and meet back here in an hour or so?"

Sweets still looked petrified. Again, it was Angela that noticed his heightened discomfort. "I don't know guys, what of the kidnapper gets him on the way home?"

"Well Booth, your car is more than big enough to transport all of us, and a large amount of additional luggage, we could all go as one unit so there is almost no chance of anything happening." Brennan suggested. "It's still in the parking lot, you never got to come take it back after the explosion." Everyone liked this idea, particularly Sweets, and they all went down to the parking lot and piled into Booths car.

Brennan was correct about the large amount of space in Booth's car. Booth and Brennan sat in the front, Angela Sweets and Hodgins sat from left to right in the back, and a seat was folded down for Zack in the boot, leaving plenty of Space for luggage.

They went to Hodgins' place first. Angela went with Hodgins to get his things, Sweets went with Zack after Zack convinced him that should they be attacked, Zack was deceptively strong, and Booth and Brennan remained with the car. Zack and Sweets returned first, with Zack having little to bring besides a few spare clothes and some comic books, with Hodgins and Angela taking a little more time.

"I wonder what's taking Angela and Hodgins so long…" Pondered Zack after about five minutes.

"I've got a theory." Said Sweets, and he raised his eyebrows suggestively. Booth understood the meaning of the signal and laughed, but Zack and Brennan were confused. After a moment, Brennan chimed in. "Oh, you were implying they were engaging in sexual intercourse." Booth sighed.

They arrived a moment later, and Booth asked, "What took you two so long?"

"I thought we came to the conclusion that they were engaging in coitus." Said Zack, a little confused.

Sweets and Booth glared at Zack for a moment, and then smiled sheepishly at Angela and Hodgins. "Well, we were not doing anything of the sort. She wanted to go through my wardrobe, and scrutinize all the clothes I own." Hodgins explained, shooting a sideways glance at Angela.

"What? I wanted to know. And hey for a guy so rich, your taste in fashion is like… homeless person terrible. The hobo that lives in the dumpster at the end of my street dresses better than you."

They heard a sound coming from the back that sounded like a dolphin. They looked around, and saw that it was Zack giggling. "That was funny, comparing Hodgins to a homeless person." Then he made the dolphin noise again. Angela reached back and patted him on the shoulder.

"Sweetie, that was the cutest thing I have ever heard." Then they all burst into gales of laughter.


	7. Chapter 7: Spider in the Sleeping Bag

The team went to Angela's house next, and Hodgins accompanied her inside. They took equally as long, if not longer, to pack in Angela's place than at Hodgins' mansion. When they returned, they were arguing again.

"Look Hodgins, I just think that you should always have a nice variety of things to wear."

"Yeah, but half of your house is for clothes only! Couldn't you just cut back a little?"

"What concern is it of yours anyway what I wear and don't wear?" Hodgins went silent at that remark, and Angela thumped him on the arm. She had a lot of luggage, which made up for Zack's lack of luggage. Once they had it all piled in, they went to Sweets' place.

Sweets was apprehensive to get out of the car, but once he and Zack went into his house, they took no more than three minutes to get everything packed. Sweets was still petrified at the prospect of being the target of a kidnapper, and therefore was being extra paranoid. He practically launched himself in to the backseat of the car, as though the stalker were right behind him.

They made their way back to Brennan's apartment, and gathered up anything that wasn't shredded to pieces, and loaded Booth's stuff into the car. They arrived back to notice that Zack was standing outside the car, sitting in the gutter a fair few metres away.

"Zack, what are you doing out here?" Booth asked, a little concerned that something may have happened while they were collecting their things. Zack was sitting with his chin in his hands, and he looked up as Booth asked this question.

"Hodgins is fighting with Sweets, Sweets is analysing Angela, and Angela is yelling at Hodgins. I was frightened that things would become physical, due to the state of Hodgins' aggression, and I didn't want to be trapped in the vehicle."

Brennan patted Zack's head, and Booth whistled loudly. The shouting coming from inside the car stopped immediately, and the window was rolled down, and Hodgins, Sweets, and Angela popped their heads out.

"Would you squints calm the hell down, your scaring baby bear!" To that, he received a wave of excuses coming from the car. From Zack and Brennan, he received in unison the response 'I don't know what that means.'

He sighed, and piled Zack and their things into the car and beeped the horn until there was silence. "If you squints don't pipe down, I'm getting out my gun." The rest of the trip was in absolute silence. When Booth threatened the use of his gun, things got serious.

It was while no one was talking that the situation really began to sink in. Cam was gone, she had been almost certainly taken by some sort of kidnapper that was going to go after all of them if given the opportunity, and they had been driven into hiding at the Jeffersonian. There was an air of defeat as they came into the parking lot.

They chose to set up all together, contrary to the time they had spent Christmas together and had grouped off in pairs. They put their things together in the employee lounge, and laid out sleeping bags. They pulled all the lounges together in a circle. When they had finished, Hodgins attempted to lift their spirits.

"So, how about some grub?" he said, clapping his hands together cheerfully. Zack looked a little sad.

"We're expected to eat grubs?" Hodgins tossed his head back.

"Alright Zack, there is such a thing as being too literal, and you have found the boundary. But for your benefit, I will repeat the suggestion free of colloquialisms. How about we eat some food?" Hodgins pronounced the last three letters of the sentence as though he was talking to someone slow. Zack brightened. "Alright."

"I trust everybody remembered to bring food?" Brennan said, and everyone nodded. Everyone except for Sweets.

"I was in such a hurry to get out of there that I forgot that food is necessary for… life." Everyone rolled their eyes at this excuse, even Zack, who found it staggering that someone could forget such an integral part of survival.

"Well, I know for a fact that Angela brought everything she had on the basis of food." Hodgins pointed out. Angela nodded.

"I was planning on cooking something, but I'm not sure if we have the right stuff… I mean, I have vegetables, and spices, and all the staple products, but no meat… or an oven for that matter."

"Well, there's the microwave, but it hasn't got enough voltage to cook anything big." Sweets said, attempting to bring himself back into the conversation.

Then Hodgins and Zack both snapped their heads up at the same time. Hodgins spoke to Zack. "Are you thinking what I'm thinking buddy?" He asked, with a huge smile about to split his face.

"If you are thinking the apparatus we used for the hotel explosion experiment, then yes, I am thinking what you are thinking, Hodgins." Zack said, returning his own, refined version of his friend's awkwardly large smile.

"I'm sorry, what?" Angela asked, confused at this exchange. Apparently, she wasn't the only one – Brennan, Booth and Sweets shared the same expressions.

"Remember when there was that explosion in the hotel, when that Columbian woman killed the girl that was sleeping with her husband and son, and then blew up the place to conceal the evidence?" Asked Hodgins at a fevered pace. When he received nods in reply, he continued, "Well, Zack and I designed an experiment to test the rate of the explosion, stemming from an inferno."

"Oh, that doesn't sound good." Said Angela. But really, she was catching on to their idea. "But if I chop up my veggies into a stew…" Zack piped up again.

"Hodgins and I also have some steak left over from our inferno experiment yesterday." Booth's eyebrows shot up at this mention.

"You guys get steak for your stupid experiments? You squints are funded way too much down here."

After Zack and Hodgins had set up the experiment apparatus, Angela and Brennan had chopped all her vegetables and the meat into a stew, while Sweets found bowls, bread, and etcetera.

They put the pot on the work bench and went behind the porthole. "For safety reasons." Zack explained, but no one was settled by his explanation.

Hodgins turned on the machine, with a little trepidation (recalling the last time they had use this machine), and the machine turned on a low flame. When the stew began to bubble, Hodgins turned off the machine, and Angela and Brennan went to begin piling the stew into bowls. Once everyone had food they gathered in the employee lounge, and ate in silence.

"I wonder what's happened to Cam…" Angela said into her stew. Hodgins put his arm around her, but quickly withdrew it, then patted her on the back.

"I'm sure we'll find her. I mean, the crime tech guys have been doing this sort of thing for years, they'll find Cam soon." Angela nodded, but was not reassured.

"Well, they can find her, but that doesn't mean she'll be ok." Sweets pointed out, still deeply hollowed. Booth attempted to pick up the mood.

"Come on guys, sitting around moping will not change anything, all we can do is sit back and hope for the best. Now how about we turn in – it's pretty late and my ribs still hurt." Everyone nodded in agreement, and got into their sleeping bags.

There was a moment of silence before they heard a high pitched girlish scream. Angela flipped the lights back on to discover that Sweets was leaping out of his sleeping bag, screaming blue murder. "What, what happened?" Asked Hodgins, tensing for a fight.

Zack walked over to the sleeping bag, stuck his hand deep inside, and withdrew a tarantula twice the size of his hand. It's legs scrambled helplessly in the air as Zack examined it, hissing and clicking its fangs. Angela caught sight of it, and everyone thought for a moment that she might faint.

"Hodgins, I believe we have found Angelina." Zack said, toying with the arachnid as it tried to bite him. Hodgins came a little closer, and smiled fondly at the creature.

"Hey Angie, I thought we lost you." He grabbed two bowls from the table. "Come here beautiful." Zack gently placed the huge spider into the bowl, and Hodgins covered it with the second bowl. He handed it to Zack, and as he carried it away, Angela found the voice to ask, "Why did you name your spider after me?"

Hodgins shuffled a little. "Well, I suppose I… Sweets, isn't this where you come in with some analytical reason on why I named my giant spider after Angela?" But Sweets was still lost for words.

"I think I'll sleep in my office…" He stuttered, and he stumbled up the stairs to his office.


	8. Chapter 8: Uncomfortable Comfort

The next morning, Brennan was the first to wake up. She yawned, and wandered over to make coffee. They had all had nightmares, and the caffeine would do them good. As the coffee percolated, Brennan decided to check on everyone. She was beginning to feel a sort of responsibility for everyone since the threat came in. Everyone was still sleeping soundly.

She looked back to the coffee machine, and ascertained that it still had a few minutes to go before completion. She lumbered up the stairs to Sweets' office, to check that he had not had too many nightmares. The door to his office was wide open, which aroused suspicion straight away. As Brennan walked into the office, she noticed the couch tipped over, a spilled chemical that smelled strangely of chloroform, and a large picture of Sweets with a knife pinning it to the wall. Under it, written in blood, was the number two.

Brennan took several deep breaths, then ran down the stairs. In her early morning drowsiness, she tripped and collided with the person at the bottom of the stairs – Zack. "Doctor Brennan, I heard you wake up. Is everything alright?" Zack asked, not phased in the slightest that Brennan was on top of him, in what Angela would call a suggestive position.

She rolled off him onto the floor, and she could not evade the tears streaming down her face. That bastard had taken another one of her friends. She covered her face with her hands, as she shook with silent sobs. Zack sat up, shaking his head clear.

He looked down at Doctor Brennan sobbing. He had no idea how to deal with this sort of situation. Should he go and wake up Agent Booth? He settled with not leaving her, as people rarely want to be alone when in such a state, and pulled her into another awkward hug. He had seen Agent Booth hug her often enough, and he tried to reciprocate the action, and eventually had her in his arms.

"Did my body hurt you with the fall?" He asked, unsure of what was making her upset. She shook her head slowly. Obviously feeling vulnerable, she burrowed her head into his chest. He was feeling very uncomfortable, but at the same time wanted to make her sadness go away, in sort of a brotherly feeling. "Is there something in doctor Sweets' office?"

She nodded, gasping for breath. He stroked her hair, fearing the worst. He suspected that the kidnapper had gotten Doctor Sweets, and left some sort of grisly message for Brennan to find. This stalker definitely had a pattern. But more importantly, he could get into the Jeffersonian. He was picking them off one by one, just like he had promised.

He scooped up Doctor Brennan, and took her back to where the others were still sleeping. She was calming down now, but she still had tears welling up in her eyes. She was rather light, lighter than he expected her to be – but then again, he was deceptively strong. He sat down on the lounge he had been sleeping on, to hold her until she stopped crying.

"Thank you Zack." She sniffed. She was finally calm, and Zack was relieved that she was alright, He hated to see his mentor so distressed.

"Anytime Doctor Brennan. Are you able to stand?" He asked. She nodded, and he let her out of his arms, so that she could get shakily to her feet. Zack held her about the shoulders for support. "Is Doctor Sweets gone?" He said softly, so as not to wake the others.

Brennan nodded, still feeling shaken by his disappearance. Zack went over to Agent Booth, with Brennan in tow. "Agent Booth?" He asked in a whisper. Booth didn't stir. "Booth." Brennan prodded. Booth moved a little, then opened his eyes.

"Bones… what time is it… you squints…" He said in a voice as menacing as the time of day would allow him. Then his eyes widened, and he threw off his sleeping bag. "Is something up?" He said noticing Brennan's eyes, which were red rimmed from crying. Brennan nodded and led him over to the stairs up to Sweets' office.

"Doctor Sweets has gone missing. I heard Doctor Brennan wake up and thought I might assist her with making coffee, then I saw her fall down the stairs. She fell on top of me, she was quite distressed."

"Sorry about that Zack." Brennan said, attempting to integrate herself in conversation so that she could take her mind off… other things.

"Well, I'm gonna go up there and take a look around Sweets' office, see if there's anything we can do. I saw Angela waking up, you should go and talk to her Bones."

"I'll go up there with you." Zack said. Booth looked at Zack. "Really Zack, 'cause the kidnapper could still be around, and you don't really look like the kind of guy that could defend himself."

"I am deceptively strong." Zack insisted. Did he really look so weak that he could not even defend himself against some sort of attack? It would be insulting, were it not for his stance on how illogical this emotion would be.

Even so, Zack followed Booth up the stairs and into Sweet's office. They saw the words on the wall, and the chloroform that had seeped into the carpet. Zack looked around the room, then to Agent Booth, who was calling the authorities.

Zack was left to wonder just how a kidnapper had managed to get into the building without detection. Or, in an even more difficult feat, managed to leave without tripping any security alarms. It was very possible that the kidnapper had not yet left the building with Doctor Sweets. Perhaps they should check the security tapes. The a hand grabbed Zack's shoulder.

Zack swung around and decked his opponent across the jaw, watching with satisfaction as he fell to the floor. "Ah, Zack, what the hell?" The opponent had been Hodgins, who had come after Brennan had woken up Angela and him to inform them of what had happened.

"Oh Hodgins, I must apologise, I am rather on edge at the moment. You should not have tried to sneak up on me like that." Hodgins glared as he held his hand over his mouth.

"Oh, so this is my fault now that you decided to become abusive?" His mouth was pumping blood by now, and Zack went over to the desk to get him some tissues. That is when he noticed the other tissues, doused with chloroform. This must have been used by the kidnapper to subdue Doctor Sweets. Perhaps it had some of his DNA attached to it…

"Hey, Zack buddy, I could really use some of those tissues right about now." Hodgins reminded him, bleeding all over the floor. Zack nodded and handed him some tissues. He rushed down the stairs and grabbed some latex gloves and returned to carefully pick up the tissue and take it to the Forensic platform.

Brennan came over, her steely demeanour active once again. "What do you have Zack?" She asked, looking at the tissue he had under the high intensity microscope.

"I may have found the tissue that the kidnapper used to subdue Doctor Sweets… if I can isolate a DNA sample from it, we may be able to identify the offender." Brennan nodded.

"Good work. Call out if you find anything. Is Booth still up there?" Zack nodded, already immersed in his work. Brennan departed from the platform and back up the stairs. Booth finished a phone call and turned to Brennan. "The experts are on their way. I saw Zack with his gloves on – does that mean he's found some sort of evidence on this guy?"

"Well, that is still being tested, but if the kidnapper was unprotected while taking Doctor Sweets, then there should be some sort of fingerprint at least." Booth nodded, then studied her for a moment. He then pulled her into his chest for a tight hug. She tensed at his sudden action, and then wrapped her own arms around him as well.

When they broke apart, Booth said simply, "You looked like you needed that." Then he turned away, to go and see how Hodgins was after being punched in the face. When he reached him, Hodgins was sitting in Sweet's chair, holding a large bunch of tissues to his face.

"How does it feel to be brought to your knees with a single punch from Zack?" Booth asked as Hodgins looked up to glare at him.

"Well, not as bad as it feels to suddenly be number one target on a kidnapper's list." Booth raised his eyebrows.

"How did you know that you were the next target after Sweets?"

Hodgins shrugged. "Brennan told me when she was down there with me and Angela. Now I saw that display you pulled on Brennan out there. There is a window on the door you know." Hodgins smirked at the FBI agent, who scowled at the shorter man.

"She's been through a lot, and looked like she could have used a hug." Hodgins nodded.

"Right, but just answer me this. You've known Brennan for a few years now, and she has been shot, stabbed and threatened many timed before, and you have never shown her as much care for her as this time, where she has not been touched." Booth rolled his eyes.

"Adding to that, she doesn't really look like someone who likes receiving hugs from just anyone, huh?" Booth turned to leave the room.

He said to Hodgins as he left. "That may be true, but I'm not just anyone."

**Sweets is gone now! That leaves Zack without a safety buddy, and everyone without an annoying psychiatrist. Leave more reviews and suggestions, and I will post on Monday or Tuesday. **HodginsH


	9. Chapter 9: Andrew's Shoes

Things were dreary when the crime scene experts got to the scene. Everyone was shaken; there was nothing that could be done to keep themselves safe. They were tired, but wouldn't sleep. Sweets had been sleeping, and he got taken by the kidnapper. As it seemed all hope was lost, Zack called out from the lab.

Brennan rushed in, flanked by Booth. "Zack, what is it, did you find a sample?" Brennan asked as she approached the young genius.

"I have managed to locate a partial fingerprint, but the DNA I have gathered should be sufficient to narrow down a list of specific suspects to around… twenty."

Booth clapped the boy on the back. "Good work, squint boy. Come on Bones, we should tell the others." Brennan nodded and followed booth off the forensic platform.

They went to the employee lounge, where Angela and Hodgins were being kept under constant surveillance. "Zack found a partial fingerprint on the tissue with the chloroform on it. He says he can narrow down a list of suspects to twenty people." Hodgins relaxed visibly.

"Someone should be over there with him." Angela said, warily.

"This place is crawling with agents, the kidnapper would have to be an idiot to come here in broad daylight anyway."

"What I want to know is how the kidnapper could have done it. I mean, this building has so many alarms, not to mention the security guards. And Sweets locked the door to his office, how did they get in?" Angela wondered out loud.

"They must have had a key, which as far as we know only the security guards have." Hodgins said.

"But I am just so scared that if this guy could get in here un-detected, then this place isn't so safe after all." Tears began to roll down Angela's face.

Hodgins put his arm around her. "Well there isn't anywhere else for us to go, except maybe my place. I've got security cameras everywhere, and there's the basement." Everyone seemed to like the idea of retreating to Hodgins' mansion, and they were settling on it when Andrew Hacker walked in to the employee lounge.

"Good morning sir." Booth acknowledged. Hacker nodded in his direction, clearly wanting to get right to business.

"I heard the details of the case, I'm sorry for all the distress this has caused you. But I must insist that you stay at the institution for the time being." Everyone had stunned expressions.

"With all due respect Mr Hacker, but this kidnapper is picking us off like flies." Hodgins said, becoming quite aggravated.

"Be that as it may, this institution is still the safest place for any of you." Hacker replied calmly.

"Well, it wasn't safe enough to keep Sweets in his locked office." Hodgins said, his voice raised.

"We will take more security measures, but the fact is that my best crime squad has been called out three times in two days, there has been an explosion that harmed one of my employees, and the best way we can catch this son of a bitch is by staying close."

Booth knew where Hacker was coming from, and he didn't like what he was trying to do. "Sit, are you saying that you want to keep us here to test this guy, and see if he can still get at us?"

Hacker frowned. "That is not what I'm saying agent Booth. But we know the bastard can get inside this facility, so when he does we will be able to get him in the act."

"But what if something goes wrong and doctor Hodgins is hurt, or taken?" Brennan asked, also realising what Hacker was planning.

"The security on this case is the best the FBI has to offer, nothing could go wrong. Now please try and remain calm, and leave the investigation to us." With that, Andrew Hacker turned on his heel and left them in shock.

"I can't believe he would put Hodgins in danger to catch this guy." Angela grumbled to Brennan when they were in her office a little later.

"Well, Hacker was right, the FBI has security that could be call impenetrable. And with Zack working the case in the lab, I'm sure we won't have to worry for much longer." Brennan attempted to reassure her friend. This was not her area of expertise.

"The Jeffersonian's security used to be impenetrable, but that bastard still managed to take Sweets. And if Hacker knew that Zack had evidence, he would take it from him and give it to the FBI forensics, and that process could take ages." Angela argued. It was clear to Brennan that she was not going to be able to convince her friend that things would be alright. And secretly, Brennan had no idea if they were going to come out of this one unscathed.

"Well, Zack is an exceptional graduate student, and I have high hopes that he will be able to identify a culprit in good time. But Ange, Hacker knows what he's doing. I don't agree with him, but he has been executing operations like this for years."

Angela nodded, then smiled a little at Brennan. "Wow Bren, that was almost comforting."

Brennan laughed. "Booth uses excuses similar to the one I just used when I need motivation for solving a case. It works for me, so I thought that I would experiment the effects on you."

Angela raised an eyebrow. "Alright, telling people you are experimenting on them makes their good feelings go down the drain." Brennan looked confused.

"I don't know what that means." Angela smiled and hugged her friend.

"Thanks sweetie, that made me feel a little better. Come on, Hodgins will be getting bored with the limited conversation of his security escort." They left Brennan's office, both feeling a little better after their reassurances.

When they reached the employee lounge, Hodgins was arguing with his guard. "I'm just saying you don't have to be within two feet of me at all times."

The guard rolled his eyes. "Mr Hacker said those measurements specifically." Hodgins raised an eyebrow, clearly losing all patience.

"Don't you think that the term may have been ever so slightly exaggerated?" Hodgins said, raising his voice slightly with each word.

"Hodgins!" Angela caught his attention. He whirled around to glare at whoever interrupted him, but his gaze softened at Angela's look of concern.

"Hey Angela, Doctor Brennan, I was just um… having a conversation with my new security guard. His name is Carl. He likes to collect shoes." He gave his guard a sideways glance, and he was nodding energetically.

Angela smiled. "Um, ok, Hodgins, how are you feeling? You know, from Zack's assault on your face." She struggle to keep a straight face as she said it.

"I'm fine. You know, I've got… Carl to talk to. About shoes…" Angela smiled. Hodgins shifted a little in his seat.

"What's the matter?" Angela asked. Hodgins remained silent for a moment before confessing.

"I have needed to go to the bathroom for forty minutes now, and Carl won't leave me alone." The security guard chimed in.

"You are perfectly welcome to use the facilities, so long as you allow me to accompany you."

Hodgins turned back to Angela. "See the problem?"

Angela sighed. "Look, just go with Carl and make him wait outside." At Hodgins' pleading look, she turned to Carl. "Carl, will you wait outside the cubicle while Hodgins relieves himself?"

Carl thought for a moment, and Hodgins interrupted. "Oh come on, like the kidnapper is going to be waiting in the cubicle for me." Carl considered this and nodded.

"Alright, that sounds fair." They set off to the bathroom, and Hodgins threw Angela an appreciative look. Carl began a story about a pair of shoes he had once owned.

Fifteen minutes later, Zack wandered into the lab. "Might I ask where Hodgins is? I need his assistance in the identification of a particulate on the tissue."

Angela glanced up. "Yeah, he's in the bathroom. He's been in there for a while, maybe you should go and check to see he hasn't blown up at that guard." Zack nodded, and swiftly walked toward the facilities wing.

He returned a few moments later in a fast sprint. "Hodgins is gone." He said urgently. Angela got up and sprinted towards the bathrooms, and Brennan made to do the same, but stopped to help Booth stand (He had been resting from his injuries). Once the two arrived at the bathrooms, Angela was sobbing on the floor next to an uncomfortable Zack, who was attempting to comfort her.

"God damn it!" Booth shouted, banging his fist against the wall. Brennan began crying softly, but Angela's choking and sobbing drowned her out. Booth put his arms around Brennan, holding her to him so her legs wouldn't give out. Angela showed signs of going into shock, so Zack was muttering soothing words to her whilst trying to dry her tears with a piece of bathroom paper.

The security guard was in a heap on the floor, with the marks of a stun-gun burn adamant on his neck. He was unconscious, surrounded by the smell of his singed flesh. Booth called the head of security about the breach, and organised a search for Hodgins. The kidnapper could not have gotten far with an immobile Hodgins.

As he waited for the guards, Booth held Brennan in his arms as she shook with the realisation that her best friend was next on a stalker's list.

**Right, I am sad to inform you that I have writer's block. I need suggestions, so fire them off in the comments section. My next update will be on Friday, pending on whether I can muster up a story line for the next chapter. Tell me if there is something you want me to add in, I am eager to get this story moving to that I can start another one (starring Zack Addy). Remember, if you want more B/B or H/A, just leave a review telling me so.**

**Until Friday my lovelies, Charlotte 3**

HodginsH


	10. Chapter 10: Her Protecter

The group dispersed to the lounge, while the entire security team searched the Jeffersonian, except for a group of around twelve guards, who surrounded the lounge. The four had wanted to help with the search, but had been blatantly denied by the head of security, who most likely did not want to look more foolish in front of his superiors by losing another person.

Angela had calmed into a submissive state by the time the head of security showed up again. He walked with trepidation as he approached. "'Our search for Doctor Hodgins has been fruitless. We must assume the worst." Brennan rose up from her seat to stand menacingly over the man.

"It is impossible that the kidnapper could have taken Hodgins without notice, let alone out of the building. Every exit is guarded, he can't be gone!"

The guard shrank back from the angry woman, while babbling excuses. Booth rose from his chair, and stormed as well as a person with broken ribs could towards the office Hacker was occupying. One guard attempted to stop him, but the look Booth gave him was enough to send a weaker man fleeing for his life.

Booth found the office, and wrenched the door out of the way. Instantly, several security guards surrounded him, but upon seeing who it was, they returned to their posts, to reveal Hacker sitting at the desk.

"I heard the news about Doctor Hodgins. May I offer my sincerest –"

"No, what you can offer is answers, alright, what the hell happened? You've got guards covering every inch of this place, and Hodgins still got taken, and what's more it is impossible that Hodgins couldn't have been taken from this building, unless there was a major breach in security."

Hacker rose from the desk. "Agent Booth calm down, nothing is ever accomplished with yelling –"

"Nothing is ever accomplished with you handling things! Look, my partner has said that Hodgins can't have left the institute, and yet the head of security is down there declaring that they've searched every inch of the place, and he is somehow disappeared off the face of the Earth!"

Hacker pounded his fist on the table. "That's enough Agent Booth! We are already breaking protocol by searching for these people before a twenty four hour time period has passed, and I'll be damned if the security isn't doing the best they can! The fact is the guy is slippery, and he probably found a way to infiltrate the institution undetected."

Booth glared at Hacker. "I thought that much was obvious, Andrew. I mean, these two people didn't just disappear on their own."

Hacker glared right back. "I think we should be interrogating that scientist of yours. I mean, it is all her fault this is happening, the least she can do is offer a little insight into exactly why these people keep disappearing."

Booth slammed his hands on the desk. "My partner has just lost three dear friends to a serial kidnapper, who is targeting everyone she knows for reasons she can't understand. She's been through enough without you putting her through the system."

Hacker brought his face forward. "We may not have a choice in the matter, Agent Booth. Our number one priority here is finding and securing the lives of three people, not the feelings of an unstable woman."

"If you even try and go near her… I will end you." And with that, he left the office, leaving Hacker to scowl at the place he had stood moments ago.

Booth went back to the lounge, registering the pain that had gone through him while threatening Hacker. He was still sore from the explosion, and needed more time to heal. Although it seems that his re-cooperation period was the least of his worries just

He reached Brennan, who was keeping an eye on her friend, and she stood up when he approached. "Booth where were you? We were getting worried." He said nothing but pulled her into his arms, and held her as though he never wanted to let go. He promised himself, there and then, that he would do everything in his power to keep her safe. She was his number one priority.

When at last he pulled away, she looked at him and smiled. "You could have just mentioned where you were going." He breathed out, unaware that he had been holding his breath at all, and sat down on the lounge. He looked up at Brennan, and patted the seat next to him.

She slumped down and rested her head on his shoulder. "Angela's next." She said. Booth put his arm around her waist. "I know Bones." They watched Angela sleep, and spoke quietly, so as not to wake her from her much needed slumber.

"He's going to get her too." She said, It was the way she said it, like a commonly known fact, that worried Booth. She had lost hope. She thought that the kidnapper would get all of them eventually, and Booth hated that he agreed with her.

"How are your ribs?" she asked, conversationally. Grateful for a change of subject, he answered quickly, in a light tone of voice.

"Yeah, they're getting better. Still hurt like hell but… yeah, getting better." Brennan nodded, and yawned. She looked very tired.

"I don't want to sleep, Booth. I'm afraid that when I wake up, Angela and Zack and you will all be gone." Brennan stammered, a single tear rolling down her cheek.

Booth pulled her in to his lap, and put her head against a pillow. "Alright Bones, you can go to sleep now, and when you wake up, I'll be right here, keeping you safe. I promise."

Brennan wanted to say something along the lines of 'you don't know that I'll still be safe Booth.' But she was too tired to say anything. So she simply closed her eyes, and soon she was breathing evenly. Booth watched her as she slept, and traced the long curve of her jaw with his finger. She was beautiful, even with the tense look etched on her face.

He bent down and kissed her forehead, wishing the pain would go away. She visibly relaxed at his touch, and he smiled at her sleeping form, holding her body closer to his.

The kidnapper could see them, locked in their embrace. It was a pretty sight, watching her sleep. She was a beautiful creature, and soon she would belong to him. He already had two, and had managed to subdue a third.

Speaking of which, he had to go collect his third object. He left his post and made his way down towards the basement, to the closed exhibits. He had hidden it inside a cupboard from the second world war, as it would have been foolish to try and take it while all the guards were fully awake.

He opened the doors. The third was still unconscious, but he applied an extra dose of chloroform, before placing him in a body bag and dragging it to the ventilation shaft. He had de-activated the alarms long ago, and in this part of the Jeffersonian no one would even notice.

As he pushed the third through the shaft, he thought to himself with glee. "Soon, Temperance, soon we can be together. No one can come between us. No one…"

**Alright, so Hodgins is gone, I added a little more angst, as well as some much needed B/B. Things are gettig pretty tense, so I released this one a day early. What's going to happen to Angela? We'll see. PLEASE REVIEW! It keeps my Squint insight running.**

**Until next time, my darlings, Charlotte :)**


	11. Short Intermission

Hello to all my valued readers!

I must apologise for screwing you over, but this will be a short intermission into my actual story. I hate when other authors do this, and I hate myself for doing it now. But, some things simply cannot be avoided. So, there are a few kinks in the chain of the story. The first and foremost is the irritating bout of writer's block I am currently experiencing. It is aggravating me to no end.

The second kink is that my charming sister has been taking up use of the computer to find episodes and pictures of Lance Sweets, another featured character in the story. While I have virtually no problem with this, She does insist on changing the screensaver from my set picture of Vincent Nigel-Murray, which is very annoying and callous.

That brings you to my third and final kink, that I am depressed. I was depressed before, but I seem to find solitude in writing about my favourite show. However, after the death of Vincent Nigel-Murray, I had a sort of relapse into the thick of it. It sounds silly, I know, many people have told me, but when a fragile individual like me loses someone they care about, real or not, it can really mess you up.

I promise I will update the story by Sunday, but right now I am focussed on updating my art page with pictures of Vincent Nigel-Murray, and Zack Addy (and possibly Wendell).

Thank you for all your support, and I promise that if I get thirty five reviews, I will update by Friday (even though that's the day I am getting braces. Yeah, that's how much I love you guys – just working through the pain).

Lots of love, Charlotte Vale


	12. Chapter 12: Stab in the Lab

Brennan woke stiffly the next morning. There was no light in the lounge, as the windows had metal shutters covering them, but Brennan glanced at the digital watch on Zack's arm, and saw that it was five thirty in the morning. It appeared that Zack had collapsed on the couch, and fallen asleep sprawled in a heap. Angela was still sleeping soundly, to Brennan's relief.

And Booth was right where he said he would be when she woke. Lying next to her, his breathing deep and even. He still had his arms around her, as if to subconsciously make sure that nothing would take her while he slept.

Even as she watched, he stirred slightly and opened his eyes. He stared into her own, and mumbled. "Told you I'd be here." They smiled at each other, then Booth released her and she sat up. He sat up as well, and stretched. She got up to walk over to the coffee machine.

There were several security guards already awake and watching them. Brennan felt comforted by this, but still no less anxious. Angela was still in danger. She decided to wake her friend with coffee. She turned on the grounder, and stared off into space as it hummed.

"Bones." Booth mumbled. She turned to where he was slowly standing.

"Yes Booth? You don't need to get up yet, it's very early." He shook his head.

"No Bones, I think Zack is bleeding." Booth got up too quickly and stumbled, but quickly scrambled up and went to Zack's side. "Zack, buddy, are you alright?" He shook him awake. Brennan ran over to where Zack was and looked for the blood. There was indeed a small pool of blood under the young man staining the couch.

"Zack, come on wake up!" Brennan shouted. Zack inhaled sharply. He was sweating profusely, but shivering as though he was cold. "Zack what happened to you?" Brennan asked as she still looked for the blood source.

"Doctor Brennan. I think… I think I was stabbed…" Brennan's eyes grew wide.

"Where were you stabbed Zack, who did this to you?" Zack's eyes were glassy and unfocussed, and as he shifted to make things more comfortable for himself, he groaned through gritted teeth as pain shot through him like a bullet.

"I don't know who did it, I was attacked from behind. But my assailant stabbed me in the lower abdomen, on the left side under the ribcage." With shaking hands, he lifted his shirt slightly, and there was a deep gash in his left side.

"We have to get you to a hospital Zack." Brennan announced. Angela stirred at the noise.

"What's going on?" She mumbled as she slowly sat up. The she saw Zack's injury and she clambered over to where he sat. "Oh my god, Zack are you alright?"

"Actually, I'm feeling a little dizzy. I think I might faint…" He swayed slightly, but Brennan kept him upright with a hand on his shoulder.

"He's lost a lot of blood, I think we had better tell Hacker and get Zack to a hospital." Booth said. "I'll go, you two stay with him, keep him awake."

Angela and Brennan watched Booth walk towards Hacker's office. When he disappeared from sight, Angela threw her arms around Zack. "Oh Zack, I can't believe that bastard hurt you too." Zack shifted slightly, then patted Angela's back.

"I'm sure once I receive some medical attention, I'll be back to my usual standard of efficiency." He said softly. Brennan put her hand to his forehead – he was running a temperature.

"Zack, maybe you should lie down until Booth gets back. We'll make sure you remain conscious – here's a pillow." Brennan put a pillow behind Zack's head.

"Thank you Doctor Brennan." He mumbled. His eyes were slits, and it looked like an effort to re-open his eyes every time he blinked. "I think I'm still bleeding…" He drawled.

Brennan lifted his shirt once more and saw that the wound was indeed still oozing blood. Angela saw the blood as well and gently stroked Zack's forehead. "Don't worry Zack, Booth shouldn't be long now." Zack moaned and nodded. He was still shivering, so Angela draped a blanket over him.

Booth by this point had reached Hacker's office. He had decided while making his way there that he would not be violent with Hacker as he had before when Hodgins disappeared. He would remain calm and strictly business. Zack's health was more important than a score to settle with Hacker.

He reached Hacker's office, which had increased in security since Hodgins' disappearance, and walked in, his expression even. "Andrew. One of my Squints has been stabbed, presumably by the kidnapper. He needs medical attention."

Hacker looked up when Booth finished this statement. "The kidnapper didn't take him? Oh right, that Asian woman is next on the list. Was he trying to protect her?"

Booth shook his head. "He was gathering forensic evidence that could lead us to the kidnapper, and although we haven't checked, it was most likely stolen after the attack." Hacker stood up sharply.

"Those scientists were withholding evidence the whole time?" Booth nodded.

"Yes. Forgive me sir but I believe that they would have done a better job."

"If my team of experts had been given that evidence in the first place, it would still be in our possession. That young man, Zeke…"

"Zack, sir, his name is Zack Addy." Booth corrected him through clenched teeth.

"Whatever the lad's name is, he will stay here and answer questions, give the FBI everything he knows. We will get some surgeons in if it is absolutely necessary."

"Andrew that's not fair, this kid spent all night with a gaping hole in his side, he's giving it everything he's got not to black out! He needs to go to a hospital!" Hacker stared Booth down. He knew from the look the agent had that he wasn't going to win this one.

"Very well agent Booth, I will arrange to have him transported to a secure wing of St Joseph's hospital a few blocks away. But he will be interrogated as soon as he is in fit condition."

Booth left the room. This was as good as he could get for the kid, and Zack wouldn't have too much of a problem with the interrogation. His logical mind could get over the recent events quicker than your typical assault victim.

But it wasn't fair what happened to that kid. He wasn't strong enough to defend himself, despite what he was able to inflict on Hodgins. The kidnapper was an immoral bastard, and hurting a defenceless Squint was crossing the line for Booth.

He heard them talking softly amongst themselves as they awaited his return. "Hey buddy, how do you feel?" He greeted Zack warmly. The young man had gone pale, and he looked drawn and tired.

"It's quite painful actually Agent Booth. I think that I was stabbed with a broken bottle, I heard one break moments before I was attacked. I think it would be beneficial to find the bottle, and see if the kidnapper's prints are on it." Brennan nodded.

"That's not a bad idea. Booth, why don't you check the forensics platform for the bottle that was used to harm Zack." Booth nodded and left for the platform.

"Poor Sweetie." Angela whispered, hugging Zack again. He hugged her back, a little more confidently this time.

"Please don't cry Angela. I am glad I was attacked and not you. Though I do wish Cam was here, so I could get some sort of medical assistance."

"Booth just went to see Hacker, and when he comes back from the forensics platform with the bottle, he can tell us what Hacker said about getting you to the hospital." Brennan supplied.

"I even wish Hodgins were here, so that he could insult the fact that I did not physically harm my assailant in the same manner as I attacked him earlier." Zack said, attempting to continue conversation so as to keep himself conscious.

Zack was rather worried actually. The stab wound was quit painful, but it did not have the potential to cause the symptoms he was experiencing. Perhaps there were particulates in the glass that caused an allergic reaction.

Just then, Booth came sprinting into the lounge, the look on his face a shadow of terror. "I found a bottle, it was broken but it used to be full of Ethylene Glycol." Zack's face matched Booth's.

"W-what's Ethylene Glycol?" Angela asked. Brennan took a deep breath before stating.

"It's anti-freeze. Put directly into the blood stream, death is slow, knocking out organs systematically over seventy-two hours."

"Zack, how long ago were you stabbed?" Booth asked frantically, upon learning the implications of the chemical. Zack thought for a moment, then looked at his watch, which was fastened to a now shaking hand.

"Around eight hours ago." He said, calming slightly. "But it all depends on how much was injected into my bloodstream. I was stabbed deeply, the shards were held in my flesh for around thirteen seconds… from now I have around thirty-six hours before my heart malfunctions and I go into cardiac arrest."


End file.
